Mubarak's health worsens amid political crisis

FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, file photo, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is wheeled into court in Cairo, Egypt. The health of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak entered a "dangerous" phase on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, with doctors using a respirator to help his breathing on five separate occasions, according to security officials at his prison. The officials at Torah prison south of Cairo said Mubarak, 84, was suffering from shock, high blood pressure and was experiencing breathing problems. Specialists were called in to examine him and a transfer to a military hospital was being considered,s aid the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.(AP Photo/Mohammed al-Law, File)
— AP

FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, file photo, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is wheeled into court in Cairo, Egypt. The health of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak entered a "dangerous" phase on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, with doctors using a respirator to help his breathing on five separate occasions, according to security officials at his prison. The officials at Torah prison south of Cairo said Mubarak, 84, was suffering from shock, high blood pressure and was experiencing breathing problems. Specialists were called in to examine him and a transfer to a military hospital was being considered,s aid the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.(AP Photo/Mohammed al-Law, File)
/ AP

However, in a new political twist, Egypt's highest court said Wednesday that on June 14, two days before the vote, it would take up legal challenges to the legitimacy of both the presidential and recent parliamentary elections. Among other things, it will rule on the consitutionality of a now-suspended "isolation law" that would disqualify top officials of the Mubarak regime from the presidency.

If upheld, Shafiq could be barred from running, possibly forcing the cancellation of the runoff and a repeat of the first-round vote - something that is sure to plunge the nation into more turmoil.

Supreme Constitutional Court spokesman Maher Sami told The Associated Press he could not say whether a ruling would be reached on June 14, but added: "The court is responsive to public issues and that is why it is rapidly working to settle the case."

Nullifying the election is likely to receive a mixed response, with those who see Shafiq as an extension of the old regime celebrating his disqualification. Morsi's critics would also embrace such a ruling as a way to spare them an Islamist becoming president, a prospect that has alarmed liberals, leftists and minority Christians.

Combined, Shafiq and Morsi won about 50 percent of the vote, while liberal candidates more in tune with the revolution won 40 percent. A new election would be an attractive prospect for supporters of leftist Hamdeen Sabahi and moderate Islamist Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, who finished third and fourth respectively.

Egyptians living abroad have already cast their ballots in the runoff. Some of the estimated 100,000 who voted posted pictures of their ballots on social networking sites with the names of Morsi and Shafiq crossed out.

"The revolution continues," some wrote, reflecting a widespread sentiment in Egypt that neither candidate is fit to rule Egypt.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo and elsewhere for a fifth successive day of demonstrations to call for Shafiq's disqualification, a boycott of the vote or formation of a presidential council to run the country.

Many also protested the mixed verdict in the Mubarak trial, in which six top police commanders were acquitted of complicity in the killing of some 900 protesters during last year's uprising.

The political uncertainty is deepened by the growing tension between the Brotherhood, which controls just under half the seats in the new parliament, and the generals, who gave the legislature until Thursday to agree on a selection process for a panel to draft a new constitution.

The action came after the Brotherhood had packed the panel with Islamists, who account for about 70 percent of all seats in the chamber. A court order disbanded that panel and efforts to form a new one have been deadlocked.

"There is a struggle within the Brotherhood. ... One strong faction says the office of the president is worth big sacrifices," said Tharwat El-Khirbawy, a former Brotherhood member.

Further complicating the political scene, the Supreme Constitutional Court will also consider on June 14 a ruling by a lower court against a law that regulated recent parliamentary elections. If the ruling is upheld, the elections would be declared illegal and parliament would be dissolved.